Device-Driven Management Workflows for Offline Compliance
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Solution Overview
Problem
The increasing complexity of managing enterprise resources due to the proliferation of personal devices and varied locations of employees poses challenges in maintaining network connectivity, leading to security issues and management delays, requiring a more efficient device management paradigm.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of client-device-driven management workflows that enable devices to manage deployments of policies, configurations, and compliance rules independently, even without constant network connectivity, through a networked environment comprising a computing environment, management service, and client devices, using workflow objects and a management console for efficient workflow creation and execution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If constant network communication is used for device management, then security and compliance can be maintained, but network connectivity requirements increase and management delays occur when connectivity is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-configuring devices with management policies, compliance rules, and workflow instructions before network connectivity is needed. Devices store these configurations locally and can execute them autonomously when disconnected, ensuring security and compliance are maintained without requiring constant network communication.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements self-service by enabling devices to autonomously evaluate their own compliance status, execute management workflows, and enforce security policies without continuous external management service intervention. The device-driven architecture allows devices to self-manage their compliance state and only communicate with the management service when needed for updates or reporting.
2Productivity
If device-driven autonomous management is implemented, then management efficiency improves and network bandwidth is reduced, but device complexity and autonomy requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the device management system into independent components: the management service that defines policies and workflows, and the device agents that execute them autonomously. This segmentation allows devices to operate independently with reduced network bandwidth requirements while maintaining management efficiency through distributed decision-making capabilities.
3Productivity
If personal devices are allowed for enterprise use, then cost savings and productivity gains are achieved, but security management and compliance enforcement become more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements universality by designing a platform-agnostic device-driven management architecture that can uniformly manage diverse personal devices (iOS, Android, Windows, macOS) using the same compliance rules and workflows. The system translates enterprise policies into device-specific instructions, enabling consistent security management across heterogeneous device types without requiring device-specific management complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
Examples of device-driven management are described. A management console can include a set of workflow objects to use in a workflow creation user interface. Workflow objects can be positioned in the workflow creation user interface area based on user manipulation. A device state criteria overlay can be painted on a connector workflow object to indicates that a branch of executable instructions corresponding to the connector workflow object is performed where a client device corresponds to the specified device state criteria.